Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions:

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How many members are enrolled in HOPE?

On average, we have around 80 K-6th grade students and 4o+ 7th and 8th grade students. Our high schoolers make up the largest group, generally around 140. We like keep to each grade to no more than 30-35 students.

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Are guests allowed to attend HOPE Events?

No, with the exception of our dances and one teen event in spring. ​

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What events do you offer?

With the help of parents, we plan 2 teens events a month, and also family events, elementary holiday parties, field trips, service projects, mom's events and parent events.

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How do we become a HOPE member?​

You can apply using the enrollment tab on this web site.  We conduct family interviews starting in June for the fall school year and again in January if you want to join mid-year. ​

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How do you deal with student discipline?

Each parent is responsible for their own children but at teen events, where parents volunteer to chaperone, if a teen is disobedient, we would notify the parents and possibly ask the teen to leave the event. Any dangerous, violent or illegal behavior is grounds for removal from HOPE completely. 

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Where are most of your events located?

Most of our events are in the North Orange County area but sometimes an event venue or a family hosting a party will be located in a nearby city.

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8th Grade Promotion Questions:

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Does my 8th grader have to participate in the promotion?

8th graders are not required participate in the Promotion ceremony but it is highly encouraged. This is an opportunity for the kids to bond together as a class before entering high school. HOPE's 8th grade Promotion is personal and fun! Students can choose to volunteer to read a  Bible verse, lead the pledge of allegiance, take part in the skit, or perform in the worship band. It is a special occasion for all. 

 

What is the dress code for the ceremony?

Our promotion is a fun, yet semi-serious affair. As such, we want our graduates to be comfortable yet nicely dressed. Boys should wear nice khakis or dress pants, a nice button up shirt, and possibly a tie. Suit jacket is optional. Girls should wear a dress, skirt, or dressy romper style pantsuit/outfit that is knee length or longer (this is for modesty due to the graduates being seated on elevated steps and facing the audience). Also no low-cut, strapless, or string tank top tops, for the same reason as listed above.

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Records

 

Q- How do I know what classes my student should take each year?

A- A good way to begin planning out your student’s path is to look at the Planning Chart provided to each family as the student prepares for 9th grade.  From there, you will make a one-hour mandatory appointment with a guidance counselor who will walk you through what is required for State of CA, and what is best for college-bound students, depending on type of college desired.

 

Q- How many mandatory meetings are there?

A- For the HOPE records high school student, mandatory are the annual orientation meetings (usually held in August or September), plus the above-referred to 9th grade course counseling meeting, and another prior to 12th grade to ensure your student is tracking to meet all graduation requirements and to answer questions for you.  Other meetings may take place as needed.

 

Q- If my student takes a community college class, how many credits does it equal?

A- High schools vary on how they calculate units converted to credits. HOPE follows what Santiago Canyon Community College and other colleges recommend:  the amount of college units multiplied by 3.33 and then rounded to the closest whole number. So a 3-unit class from community college would be reported as a 10-credit class on the high school transcript. A 5-class would be worth 16-credits. And so forth.

 

Q- How do I know if something is Honors?  Can I call a "home" class honors?

A- Yes, HOPE allows you to call a home-based class “honors” if it meets the criteria for honors.  For a complete description, see the handout on the Resources page. But put simply “honors courses” are those completed with more depth, sometimes using outside sources, and/or adult-level materials, and/or done at an advanced pace. Institutional courses such as offered by HSFM, Spirit, BYU, Liberty, and BYA (other than Torrey) that are not pre-determined nor titled by their institution as “honors” are not considered honors.

 

Q- What is an AP?  Can I call a home class AP?   Can I call a community college class AP?

A-AP stands for Advanced Placement and there are a total of 38 courses offered through Collegeboard. One cannot call a home-based or other class “AP” unless it has been certified by Collegeboard.  A community college is not an AP. Some tutors may not be Collegeboard-certified and still teach AP materials in preparation of the AP exam. When this occurs, the class is notated as “honors”. An AP exam can still be taken (proctored by an accredited, approved institution, not at home by parent) and colleges may accept these in lieu of a college class at their discretion.  

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Q- How many credits does it take to graduate from high school?

A-Per HOPE, the amount of credits to graduate are 230, which is the State of CA minimum (including 13 year-long required core courses) plus 20 credits of Bible/Religion. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrgen.asp  

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Does HOPE provide PSAT, ACT or SAT Testing?

HOPE does not proctor any testing. Many local libraries offer PSAT testing.  Some private school also allow homeschool students to test on their campuses with their students. For the ACT or SAT, students can sign up directly with ACT.org and Collegeboard.org and take them at a local private or public high school.

 

Does HOPE provide all the other paperwork needed for applying to public or selective colleges such as UC, CSU?  

HOPE only provides the transcript and a school profile.  The parents are responsible to provide all other documents which often include course descriptions, textbook names, tutor names and bio, among potentially other items. This is another reason it is helpful to you to maintain and update the HSRO each semester so that you have this information readily available when you need it before application season. (Recommend: use the “notes” section for each class for the location of the class (BYA, etc) and the tutor bio.)

 

Can HOPE generate a Letter of Recommendation for my student for either (or both) college admissions and/or jobs?  

This is up to the discretion of the guidance counselor, HOPE may be able to offer this to you depending on individual situations.

 

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